The Unofficial Grandmother of Burbank: Ines Tartari Stevens

That’s one of the ways we’ll remember her. Even at 100, she still took her daily walks down San Fernando Road and then sometimes she would sit on a bench for hours people-watching. She was so friendly and sweet, but what most people didn’t know was that she was the first woman ever to attend and graduate from law school in Italy!

She was so incredibly modest about what at the time was a monumental accomplishment that you’d never find out about it unless someone else told you. Alas, she never got to practice because shortly after graduating from law school, she met her true love, Henry Stevens, and moved to New York. They eventually moved to Southern California where she had two sons, Ralph and Steve.

Even at 100, she was as sharp as a tack, with a wry, unexpected sense of humor. And she still liked to kick up her heels at the annual dances they have in the Burbank Plaza where, by the way, she still had many a gentlemen asking her to dance!

Up until the end she had an infectious zest for life! And did I mention that this little dynamo was fluent in five languages? (English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish!) She would even teach anyone who wanted to learn Italian for free. Though she moved into assisted care this past August, she left an indelible imprint on all of her friends and neighbors. In fact, we had the privilege of seeing her one last time at a party we held in her honor last Saturday. This brilliant kind-hearted trailblazing lady will be oh so sorely missed, but never forgotten! She is survived by her loving sons and daughters-in-law, Ralph and Cathy and Steve and Christine; as well as grandchildren, Savannah, Christie, and Clayton.

About

The Tolucan Times is a free weekly community newspaper, published since 1937 and available online. With over 600 drop locations throughout the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys from Encino to Pasadena, The Tolucan Times serves the communities of Glendale, Flintridge La Canada, Burbank, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, and Van Nuys, to list a few.